Richard Rohr on "Male saints"

"Male saints are, quite simply, people who are whole. They trust their masculine soul because they have met the good masculine side of God, whom we have called 'The Father'. The Father taught them about anger, passion, power and clarity. He told them to go all the way through and pay the price for it. He shared with them his own creative seed, his own decisive word, his own illuminating Spirit. They are comfortable knowing, and they are comfortable not knowing. They can care and not care--without guilt or shame. They can act without success because they have named their fear of failure. They do not need to affirm or deny, judge or ignore. But they are free to do all of them with impunity. A saint is invincible."

Without the rest of the book for context, this might be read with some incredulity. Rohr is helping us men, often men who have not had mentors who have helped us understand what it means to be a real man, to understand what it means to be male...but not just the male animal, but the male as the creator God intended us to be. I want to understand that...in all it's depth & breadth. I want to be all the my Father intends me to be.

I read words like...."without guilt or shame"....and I say awesome! Some would say the christian message wants to lay a guilt or shame message on us. Here I see God intends that I should be confident, powerful, productive, real...without guilt or shame in that. Our God is a redemptive and liberating God. This is what I want to enjoy.

Grand Canyon Hike

In September 2008, I traveled to the Grand Canyon with 25 other men for a trip billed as a midlife sabbatical. It was a life changing event. My group, consisting of 9 men, entered the canyon going down the Grandview trail, along the Horseshoe Mesa, the Hance Creek on to Hance Rapids & up the New Hance Trail to exit the canyon. A five day trip that taught me a lot about myself. For lots of pictures....go here.

What did I learn? Well, I learned that I'm not the man I thought I was. I thought I'd be able to handle this hike quite well. Not as well as some, but at least better than many. I really don't know how I did in the "standings", but I realized that I really was measuring. I really wanted to not be the worst...or even in the bottom tier...it mattered a lot. In some ways, I forgot to have a good time. There was one man who fell, hurt his eye, & subsequently needed a fair amount of assistance. He handled the need in his life so gracefully, it shamed me to see my own pride. Perhaps a definition of maturity is to gracefully accept your own needs, and joyfully meet others as best you can.

Thursday musings....

I've been reading a book recommended to us by Philip Zach of Remedy Drive. The title is "Irresistible Revolution". This book is challenging. I like to be challenged. The question is, am I willing to step up to the challenge?

The author considers himself an "ordinary radical" Christian. I like that. A person who follows Jesus Christ should seem quite radical to our culture of fierce independence & materialism. And yet being this kind of radical isn't just for the hyper spiritual, or the punk anarchists...it's for all of us...it should be ordinary.

The author and his friends and many communities throughout the country & world are choosing to live lives of interdependence & selfless sacrifice...living the gospel. It's a life that rejects dualism in the church...which separates spiritual from social & political issues.

I have to say that for years I've shied away from political & social issues, focusing on spiritual. In some ways because I felt the spiritual is what was real & what really mattered. In some ways because I felt the "christian" right had co-opted some narrow political & social issues as their own...and I didn't always agree with the outcomes. Better to stay out of the fray than to get "distracted" from what was really important. This book is definitely challenging that stance. Jesus says that "they shall know you by the love you have one for another". If I ignore the social ills that surround me, am I loving my brother & sister who are hungry, marginalized, homeless?

I'm not done yet, and the Lord's not done with me yet.